house bill 640

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu says he will sign into law a bill that decriminalizes cannabis.

Once signed into law, House Bill 640 will decriminalize the possession of up to three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana, reducing the charge from an arrestable misdemeanor as it is today, to a simple civil infraction punishable by a fine of $100 for a first or second offense. A third offense within three years of the initial offense will result in a fine of $300, and a fourth offense within three years of the original offense can result in a misdemeanor charge, but no arrest or jail time.

“I want to thank the Legislature for passing common sense marijuana reform,” Governor Chris Sununu (R) said in a statement. “I look forward to signing House Bill 640 into law.”

New Hampshire’s House of Representatives gave approval to legislation decriminalizing marijuana with an overwhelming 318 to 36 vote.

House Bill 640, sponsored by Representative Renny Cushing, now moves to the Senate for consideration. The proposal would reduce the penalty for possessing up to an ounce of cannabis from a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison, to a simple civil fine with no possibility of jail time or a criminal charge.

The fine would be $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense and $350 for third and subsequent offenses (if committed within three years of the first two offenses).

New Hampshire’s House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee has passed a bill to decriminalize cannabis and hash possession.

House Bill 640 was approved with an overwhelming 14 to 2 vote. The measure would decriminalize the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, and up to five grams of hash, for those 21 and older.

If police do catch someone possessing cannabis or hash within those limits, it would be “a fine of $100 for a first offense under this paragraph, a fine of $200 for a second offense within three years of the first offense, or a fine of $350 for a third or subsequent offense within 3 years of 2 other offenses.” Under current law the possession of even a minuscule amount of cannabis is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.